Book number 22: The Book Thief by M. Zusak. This is my favorite book of 2012 so far and I’m so grateful to the lovely scud for sending me a copy. Thank you, scud! 🙂
What it is: Nazi Germany. This is the setting of The Book Thief, at a time known as The Holocaust. Separated from her communist family, the book thief Liezel, discovers the power of words in a moving tale that is both beautiful and brutal all at the same time, narrated by no less than Death himself.
It is filled with insights on humanity, love, friendship, hope, sacrifice, loss, and courage among others, and words… books, writing, reading, the hunger for it all. All book lovers should read The Book Thief.
What I liked about it: The Book Thief certainly contains ingredients that can induce chest heaviness but it surprisingly is a light, breezy read, filled with tons of adventure that can be a challenge to put down! The storytelling is rich, gripping, and transporting. Many times I’ve read feeling like a distant observer but in this one my heart raced as the chapters wore on and I became a reluctant participant, even feeling scared for a moment or two in all the thievery, in all its shapes and forms, that went on.
On page 38, there is a line that goes, “How do you check if something’s alive? You check for breathing.” In this case, The Book Thief is alive for me. The characters are believable, relatable. I fell in love with them all. I can picture my own parents in the Hubermanns, I loved the friendship between Liezel and Rudy, I will not forget the mayor’s wife, and I totally wanted to punch the faces of the senior boys in Hitler Youth. 😆 I also appreciate the new take on Death – his character is solid and strong within the book.
Also, the repeated apperance of 33 Himmel St. in The Book Thief gave me that Harry Potter feeling about 4 Privet Drive! The Book Thief is really a special work and it gave me the same feeling when I read The Shack, my favorite book last year.
What I did not like about it: I honestly cannot think of anything to complain about The Book Thief. I loved every bit of it. Despite the violence, thievery, abuse, corruption, injustice, and anything and everything wrong about the Fuhrer’s regime, The Book Thief fits all elements perfectly well to come up with a tale that is moving and memorable, triumphing the human spirit, in all its tainted glory. I know I will read The Book Thief again.
Recommended for: all book lovers.
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hmmm (na-spam na naman ata ang isa kong comment..hehehe) lam ko na now kung bakit.
bakit hoshi?
hula ko ito ay dahil pareho ang email na ginagamit ko sa dalawa kong blog.
pag yung hoshi sr ko okay, pag yung hoshi jr ko wala. so iniba ko na lang ulit hehehe
ganun ba? mabuti na lang okay na!
naku need ko na balikan ang pagbabasa ng book. dinadalawa na nila ako sa panaginip. hehehe
mabuhay na-inspire ako sa pic at post mong ito. reading is me-time.
pag yung isang url mo hoshi napupunta sa spam. reading is indeed me time. i spent several hours from this past weekend alone on a coffee shop while reading shade’s children. it was raining so bad it was almost scary but at one point inside that coffee shop i was thinking, what more can i want out of this life? 🙂 i hope you resume your reading hoshi. start with this one because it is really nice. you can also check out my books page for more good reads. i hope it helps.
sounds interesting! 🙂
it’s my favorite so far this year. 🙂
Ok. gonna check this out! 🙂
yes, it’s a nice book!
Hope you can feature some John Grisham’s novels/books! =)
lagi akong nakakakita ng john grisham books sa bookstore pero hindi pa ako nakakabasa ng work niya. anong genre ba siya, pat?
Hmmm nakikita ko lang din sa bookstore pero di ko binabasa hahaha joke lang!
Court drama… mga legal cases… me mga movies na rin sya… like the Rainmaker, The Client, Pelican Brief, the Jury, the Firm… ganda rin… try reading one…
i will try to read one, pat. 🙂
you know what, this is really interesting. Is it available in the bookstore now or pdf copies are available? 😀 i will definitely read this… after siguro ng eat pray love
i got this from a blog friend who purchased it from a book sale, but there are definitely copies in nbs. i’m not sure with ebooks though. it’s a great read, perfect for all book lovers. i’m sure you’ll relate too, lj.
Now I understand how much you love this. Well, I also love this too. 😀
And until now, Eat, Pray, Love is still eating dust at my shelf. Shoot me.
glad you liked it. freed is buried on mine.
mhmm.. parang na curious ako ah! sige… malagay nga sa book list ko! hahaha. (ang damiii naa) 🙂 ill get around to that. great review. 🙂
thanks tina. the book is a great adventure that shows a different side of nazi germany. it also shows a different side of death, pretty cool.
i haven’t read a new book in ages! hu hu!
if ever you find the time, make it this one, kg. it’s really nice. may harry potter effect siya.
Wow! I think I’d like to join this kind of book reading and reviewing. Do I still have the time though? My schedule is totally purged into work. Aaaarrrghhh! But it sure is nice to read a good book!
i wish you could squeeze the time sheng. reading books and writing about them is fun! 😀
Good review, and it sounds interesting. I’d like to read it one of these days when I can actually afford books again.
the book thief is an awesome book, nelle. once you find the opportunity, go and grab it!